Department of Homeland Security

Final Project

The Department of Homeland Security

John Whisenant

HSEM 108

The Department of Homeland Security was developed in the purported claim that it would better protect the people of the United States from threats such as international terrorism. However, since it’s inception in 2002, it has been highly controversial, with opponents claiming that Homeland Security infringes on civil rights and is costly, and in the end does little to meet its stated mission. By assessing the current state of Homeland Security it is possible to understand whether the department is protecting Americans or simply diminishing their liberties.

After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the United States government passed a bill known as the Patriot Act, signing it into law on October 26 of that same year. The Patriot Act, among other things, called for the formation of a Homeland Security Department, what is basically a permanent federal police force. The main task of Homeland Security is to thwart terrorism. To accomplish this task, each state creates its own Homeland Security force. The state forces coordinate with the federal force in order to more easily share information and stop terrorist attacks before they can be committed.

In order to accomplish the task of finding terrorists, the various state and federal Homeland Security task forces utilizes several controversial data gathering methods. The Patriot Act greatly increased the governments, and thus the department of Homeland Security’s, ability to conduct surveillance. It has expanded the government’s ability to look at records on an individual’s activity that is held by third parties. It has expanded the government’s ability to conduct searches without the owners consent or knowledge. The Patriot Act also expanded a narrow exception in the Fourth Amendment that was used for the collection of foreign information, allowing it to be used on U.S. citizens. Perhaps most controversial, however, as been...